Core
by Kaki-kun
Summary: 7 years ago the world began to change dramatically. Lance and Lyra look for answers from the past as the key to the future. Apocalyptic scenario- Lance POV. Adventure/Drama with mild romance on the side. Violence/Death/all those bad things in future ch.
1. Chapter 1

**Core**

**1**

I didn't know what to say when Bill dropped the question. He was never the type to venture outside for much any reason besides strictly dealing with installing new components to the PC system or upgrading hardware. In fact, that was one of the biggest reasons he and Misty went their separate ways. So I had heard at least, but I don't make the Gym Leader's personal lives my business.

This was my business, however, because he made it my business.

He waited patiently for a reply, legs crossed and readily expecting some sort of intelligible reply from me.

"Do you really think this will work?" It was all I could muster as I only began to visualize the task in itself.

"It's the best chance we'll have," He replied cooly. Clearly, he had thought over this for quite a while. "I've read many articles from esteemed peers about Eevee and its unique genetic structure. Eevee changes to its environment as the situation calls. Though," Bill reached down to take the young pokemon's eartip into his hand, rubbing the fur affectionately. "The transformation to Glaceon and Leafeon typically involves the presence of a great energy source from within the environment."

I wouldn't deny Blackthorn's mountainous trail to the south having a special energy to the place. A frown creased my face and I shifted a little to the side, gauging the expressions of his siblings across the room. They seemed confident in his genius.

"If this were a simple matter, I'd be more cooperative, but..." Bill's eyes set on me and rose from his seat, tense at the tone of rejection.

"Lance, please! I've considered it, there is no other trainer in town who can help me make this trip." I wrinkled my nose, a little displeased at being boxed into responsibility. Sure it was certainly another strong point; Pryce has become too old and much too weak in spirit to dare such a trek and Clair's Dragonair was not toned for it. As if she really had time to do this on top of upkeep of the Den and the Gym.

Okay, so there _wasn't_ anyone else.

"I understand that, but as I was saying, it's not just a simple matter of flying up to the highest peak by Mount Silver." He calmed a little, sitting back down and lacing his fingers together. Was he so nervous?

"Well. Why not?"

"The heat last summer scorched a lot of the fruit-bearing trees throughout the area. The wild pokemon have been more restless as they compete for the basic necessities of survival." I sighed quietly, leaning against the wall a little in trying to find some comfort in his small home. "You've heard the reports of Ursaring breaking into homes and attacking civilians. So, now we've gotten a foot of snow and you want me to escort you into their territories with my dragon pokemon? My dragons, who may I add, have not even seen ice or snow in over 5 years, much less endured against such elements?" This was a fundamental for any decent trainer, but I spoke softly as to not sound harsh. Bill, after all, was not any kind of trainer to begin with.

It was his turn to not know what to say.

"That is what you're asking of me, correct?"

"Yeah," He mutter dejectedly, getting to understand now just how great of a feat he expects. I could almost see the confidence drain right out of his face. At least there's one hazardous endeavor avoided-- "I just thought," Bill began again quietly, avoiding my eyes. "Because you're the Champion, you could..."

I---I cannot believe he played that card. At all. I never imagined the respectable Bill, science whiz kid, could have ever stooped so _low_. Honestly taken off guard, I growled a little in the back of my throat as I tried to fight back the anger that naturally arose.

That was all I really needed to do it seemed as he shrunk in place and tried to spit out an apology faster than his lips would move.

"I'm sorry, it's just, I had faith you could do it and you know--"

"Champion of _what_," Was all I could hiss without loudly ripping him to shreds. I was sore---I was **infuriated**. I cannot believe he brought that up. Bill's backpedaling ceased as he resigned to staring at the ground guiltily.

He blew his chance at convincing me as the sound of his front door rapped shut behind my cape.

* * *

Part of my own anger was towards myself. It burned me up inside like an emotional wound, a weakness, a flaw I couldn't shake no matter how hard I tried to accept the reality.

It wasn't my fault. Just because I rose to the top, became the star of Johto and overseer of the the Pokemon competition, it didn't make me god. Didn't make me any kind of supreme ruler, I was nothing but a figurehead and a final destination for eager challengers like Gold.

The fact that I was helpless as the league disintegrated slowly but surely makes it unbearable to cope with. It felt like I had watched a beloved pet get run over in heavy traffic and the horror of being stuck there, on the curb, as it struggled with its fatal wounds to its bitter, cruel end. I couldn't shake the responsibility of the league going down because I_ was_ in charge. I _was_ the Champion. But I didn't run off the members of the Elite Four; they fled to help their homes cope with tragedies. I didn't kill Chuck, or any of the other 747 victims of Cianwood City as it sank into the sea overnight. I didn't demand Jasmine or Whitney to stay and struggle to protect their gyms as they took on the rising waters.

I didn't do anything, and that may just be the reason I'm kicked to the curb. Because I _should_ have done something. It wasn't my fault, yet I am responsible.

To this day, I don't even know what I should have done, and the League officially disbanded 6 years ago.

* * *

The Dragon's Den is the only place on the continent where you can always rely on the weather inside. It is deep and recessed within a cave that extends beneath the city. There are some areas in the dirt and stone lined ceiling where you can see exposed bones from centuries ago and old, rusted pipelines slowly sinking into our sacred grounds. There are attendants and assistants under tutorship who look after these things as they aid the elders in respecting the Den and the Dragons that inhabit it.

It's the only physical place in the world I look to as home.

My fingers are red and raw from the icy wind outside, descending down the hallways unobstructed besides the formal greetings. I opened the gate and stepped inside, taking a deep, much needed breath of the humid and familiar air.

"Hey Lance." The only casual greeting; I really didn't want to talk to her now. I still felt aggressive, felt... remorse. I continued on to the edge of the water, sitting down and tugging off the scarf. The sound of high heels followed right behind me. "So what did Bill want?"

"The impossible. But it's what we all want." I cracked my knuckles, leaning in to look deep into the glimmering water. The faint silhouettes of young Dratini tussling was only broken by Clair's reflection, leaning over me.

"Yeah? That's a pretty big order to fill. Except, Bill doesn't seem like the kind of guy to ask for that." She never was a fan of an indirect answer. I never really have been either, come to think of it. "What did he really want Lance?"

"Nothing." The word taste bland on my dry lips. "And is none of your concern."

"If it has to do with the Den, then it certainly is my concern." I fear I'll be fighting off a headache soon.

"No, it doesn't. Look, I'm just trying to unwind and warm up a little. I'm sick of this damned snow."

There were two prevailing reasons I've come to hate winter. The first, primary reason being the cold. I practically grew up in the Den alongside my partners, I don't like the chill in my bones or the aching that comes with it. And the second was how the Blackthorn Gym always closes for the coldest months of the year so Clair can seal up and protect the Dragon's Den. Clair being inside the Den at the same time as I am happens to be the most inconvenient and frustrating thing imaginable.

Without any warning, I felt a push and struggled briefly to keep my balance before tumbling into the warm waters. Even heavily clothed from outside, it didn't take much for me to break the surface and give my assailant a threatening look she would hopefully not forget for a while. She smirked, unfazed by my sour mood.

"That's what you get for not listening to me!"

I love my cousin, but sometimes, I really, _really_ don't.

"What is your _problem_?" I gripped on the stone-carved edge and pulled myself up, drenched and fully agitated. "Yeah, thanks Clair, I just happen to be in the mood for catching pneumonia! How did you _know?_"

"Oh wah. You act all tough but you're just a crybaby half the time, Lance."

"You wanna make something of it," I snapped back loudly, getting close physically to remind her who she was trying to mess with. After a moment of waiting for her to dare try something else, she backed down silently. It was only somewhat satisfying, as I've never come second to her and a battle could just make me feel better about the situation that was dropped on me from Bill. Letting it go, I took off my cape and struggling impatiently with my waterlogged jacket.

I could still feel her eyes watching my every move.

"Come on, what's wrong." Clair grabbed a wet sleeve and helped it off before I just about ripped it.

"Nothing's _wrong_ Clair, you're just bothering me," I tried to sound calm, but the more I tried the more she could sense that I was disturbed. Rigorous training within in the clan heightened that ability in both of us. There wasn't much I could hide from her and nothing she could hide from me. She tapped her foot, waiting for some kind of confession as I rung out my jacket.

"Lance. Do you even _know_ when the last time you challenged me was?" I paused. It was true I usually didn't challenge other people unless I have a compelling reason. When _was_ the last time I challenged her though? "I don't appreciate being lied to."

I bit my lip, holding back the retort of how much I really appreciate being shoved in the water when just outside its 20degrees, but I fought it off; it would be only taking her bait.

"I'm not lying to you. There is nothing wrong, I'm just in a bad mood. Leave me alone." She crossed her arms, unconvinced. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, flicking droplets. "_Please_. I want to be left alone to train."

I don't think it worked, but it suited the purpose. She scoffed without another word, turning sharply on her heel to sulk out. Watching the gate click shut, I slumped back to the ground.

She's the biggest pain in the ass I've ever met.

* * *

Many reports from all sources had called the closing of the League a shameful tragedy and that we may as well have nailed a stake in the hope of the people. When I heard DJ Mary invite that dirtbag columnist on for the prime time guest, I remember feeling this same way as now; offended. They didn't understand, they were being critical of me without even approaching me, or _any_ of us, upon the subject! Hope wasn't killed by the Pokemon League, it was killed by the burden of this changing landscape. How could we endorse the idea that civilians should travel freely through the countryside where there are no passable routes, no habitable towns to rest in, no stable law enforcement agencies or Pokemon Centers? We had no choice and I had no choice.

Thing is, they never once mentioned me by name or status, all that mattered was the officially sanctioned Pokemon Gyms throughout Johto had been cut from 8 throughout the participating cities and towns down to 4: Violet, Azalea, Ecrueteak, and Blackthorn. A few months after the league shut its doors, Bugsy voluntarily closed off his gym as well to pursue bigger projects like preserving the Town. The reporter went on to say that instead of adapting to the circumstances and keeping the doors open, that we, as officials within the league, had thrown in the towel.

Mary reported briefly of how it happened to each of the gyms, the first to go down was the most shocking, too terrible to conceive. But it was real; rain fell as if the sky were mourning the loss of its child and the storm that slammed into Cianwood engulfed it hungrily. Only a handful narrowly escaped their demise by fighting through the gales of wind upon their bird pokemon. It was the first of many terrible storms to land upon the coastlines as Goldenrod and Olivine were next, though both managed to evacuate. Olivine took the worst of the blow as the sea ate the land up to farms; Goldenrod lost their entire west side. This brought down the Radio Tower and the Magnet Train Station for many months, only through perseverance was the Radio Tower rebuilt to keep the people in touch. Azalea was the last to close as the coastline crept forward everyday to the edge of the forest; the Slowpoke Well long flooded and gone. Our neighbors in Mahogany Town only could have wished for such a blessing of too much water for they had nothing to survive. Lake of Rage dried up completely along with the forest, laying the Magikarp to bake in the sun. Ice Path melted away, and the pokemon within the caves died off. People left Mahogany because only a barren and dry wasteland remained.

Not one of the Gym Leaders were ever prosecuted for abandoning their positions because even they had more couth than to further victimize the victims. After all, it was so much easier to blame me, who only had 2 members remaining of the Elite Four and only 4 Gyms that could stay open. All these people rallied around the idea that we were cowards, they only wanted someone to pay for things that no one could control. I guess that's just what they got because I was the Champion, and now I am not.

After listening to the entire, painful hour through the poor reception on my PokeGear, I seem to recall now that happened to be the last time I challenged Clair to a battle.

* * *

I must have done something right because no one dare stepped into the Den till evening had long come and gone. The hours there in solitude with Dragonite and the Dratini was tranquil, slowly unwinding. Never a day went by that I did not think about what happened to the League and my reign; still, how could Bill have the nerve to try and use that against me? As if the title of Champion meant I could part the seas and turn water into the finest wine.

Dragonite decided not to play around with the young pokemon, opting to sit beside me and take in the serenity. He understood me as well as I understood him; there was no one closer to me in the world than this pokemon.

Soft, slow footsteps finally broke the silence, but they were certainly not Clair's. I figured it was probably one of the elders coming to check on the Den or myself as if my personal business really concerned them. I'm not the 'Blessed' child of the family after all, it couldn't really trouble them so much.

When it was Pryce's old bones who took a seat next me, I was dumbfounded.

"Are you-- even permitted to be down here," Was the first thing that came to mind, broken as I grasped for words. And since when? I've never seen or heard anything about the retired gym leader taking casual strolls into our haven. Did any of the Gym Leaders besides Clair have such a right?

He turned his head and looked at me, the creases in his face no longer fierce but etched forever in his wrinkles was the scowl of his arrogant, cold days.

"Does this trouble you?" I guess not, it wasn't my business. I sighed, shrugging with admittance and glancing over at Dragonite in the corner of my eye. He seemed curious too, but much more like a young kitten interested in a new found toy. There were not many people my Dragonite disliked. Pryce took the answer, watching ahead as the Magikarp jumped about, trying to keep up with the Dratini skating the water's surface. For a short while, it was like he wasn't even there.

"What would you do if this place was destroyed," He asked suddenly and I felt my stomach drop at the words. It's not as if I've never considered it; with so many other homes and habitats being destroyed, it was a natural paranoia to have. But no one dared speak of such a blasphemy.

"I...guess I would try to rebuild it. It depends." It was the only thing that seemed to make sense. Thinking over it more, I added," I'd rather try not to let it be destroyed."

"By caring about it at all, you leave yourself open to that possibility." His voice was gentle but it rubbed me wrong as much as any insult.

"So what? You're saying I should detach myself from things I care about as to not be fearful?" I watched Dragonite dip his tail into the water, fishing for the Magikarp. "I'm not afraid."

"I never said you were. It's just a risk you take."

"Do you regret your risk of losing Mahogany?" Never had I brought up the issue with him, I always kept away from Mahogany as to not open a wound. He brought on the possibility of Dragon's Den suffering a similar fate, though, so I tried to feel more justified about it now. His face furrowed, troubled.

"At first. Just as when my Piloswine died." I was grateful as silence took ahold of the Den again. Dragonite rose his tail from the pool and brought up the flailing Magikarp, tossing it back with a sharp flick. He seemed to listen to our conversation, but didn't grasp the severity of it. He didn't see the video or read the reports about these people and pokemon dying all around the nation. Dragonite knew things were wrong in the world just as I did, but not in the same way that I did.

I felt physically ill considering the idea of watching Dragonite slowly die like Pryce's Piloswine. I tried to think of anything else, but it was useless.

"What after that though," I asked, licking my dry lips. "You don't regret it anymore?"

"I couldn't. That is the journey of a trainer's life, holding onto these risks and rewards." He paused for a moment to stretch his back sorely; I guess after so long of absence from it, he wasn't used to the cold weather either. "When I was young, I knew I could lose it big, but it didn't stop me from making the challenge. I never thought I could experience such a thing as I have, but the love and memories I hold of my home and my pokemon are the most precious trophy I could ever hope to keep. And if I could do it again, I would."

He struggled for a minute to get up on his cane after having sat on the ground, rising up to look at the glorious statues throughout the Den. "It is a nice break in here from the winter."

I only nodded, trying to digest the conversation as he quietly shuffled out.

* * *

Bill was surprised to see me again, though I wasn't too thrilled. He stepped aside, allowing me entrance to his new, dwarfed home again. Inside, I was made aware that I had probably interrupted his family's supper, as their eyes were fixed on me in the other room like glue. Waving them off, I turned to face him staring back at me with this stupid, elated look spread across his face.

"Did you change your mind?" I snorted with indignation, forcing him to shrink away like a mouse. "You're still mad...?"  
Not necessarily, but I didn't want him getting on my bad side every time he needed something of me.

"We will go tomorrow," I started firmly, keeping to business. "Under my conditions."

Continue? **Y/N**?


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Comment: First off- WOW. I really did not expect to come by my account so many months later and find these reviews. Thank you all so much for your interest, you are the main reason I've decided to come back and continue this epic!

I didn't really want to add any author's comments to this fic originally (even with the amazing responses I've gotten!), but just the same my hand is forced because of the pairing list that I had originally put up.

_"EliteFourShip & NeoEliteShip in distant future; DragoniteShip, PotentialShip, TrickyShip, & MasqueradeShip as possible teasers"_ **is just as it says**. Teasers really. The only substantial pairings involving Lance are EliteFour and NeoElite. I might even take Masquerade and Potential shippers out because they don't hold much importance to the story.  
There are other shippers involved throughout the story (even SweetnessShip) but the only ones worth mentioning might be this:_ SeiryuuShip, PoliShip*, InfluenceShip, SnapshotShip. _

**This is not meant to be a love story, so I have removed the teaser ships entirely from the description. **I'm sorry if it has mislead you. =\ I love romantic or cute moments between characters just as much as the next person, but this an adventure fic with a side of fluff. So please enjoy~

* * *

**Core**

**2**

The whole mess started 7 years ago. By the whole mess, I mean, globally. For some enterprises and regions, it was a total shut down of civilization all at once, but for the most part, the events unfolded one at a time neatly into our lap. And they called it Global Warming.

There were a lot of pokemon that have died or become rare as a result. Not only were their homes being destroyed, their livelihoods became more dependent upon a predator-prey relationship. The Safari Zone in Fushia, for instance, suffered greatly as the peninsula became an island and the Illex Forest became overrun with stranded Rattata from the grasslands. Professor Oak in Kanto headed off a movement to help save them or create hospitable places for them. Not sure where he went off to after Pallet Town was demolished, the result of Cinnabar's catastrophic eruption, but I assume the effort lives on.

It was ironic at the time when the environmentalists announced their own conclusion of Global Warming, as it made the headlines right next to the news of a city in Sinnoh, believe it was called Snowpoint, getting nailed in an ice storm. Not just any kind of ice storm apparently, it completely caked the city in over 5 inches of solid sheet ice and stayed there. Spring never came to those poor people. Industrialists used their case study as an argument against such findings, but it never held much water. The extremities all over the world were undeniable within the first year of the changes, cold and hot regions both became brutal.  
However, the politics behind it became a heated war. Everyone wanted to know why and what to do to stop it, but it just turned into a finger-pointing match with the ultimate goal of defacing the opposition. I got sick of reading about their senseless, verbal battles in the paper because they long lost sight of what we needed; an answer to the problems.

Now after all of this, we still only guess and hope for the best. It makes me mad as hell.

* * *

I thought a long time about what and why Pryce said what he said to me. Not yet was I entirely convinced that Bill pressed him into doing it, for Bill paled in comparison to Pryce's negotiating skills. Controversially, it would bring joy into Pryce's life again to see a new age where Ice pokemon can adapt to the warming climate and bring even more of an upper hand to the battlefield. However, it could end in failure, or even cause more suffering on the pokemon's behalf. I decided the old man found me because he felt he needed to, not because anyone pressed him to.

I think what might have really happened was he saw in me what I sought to find in myself. Maybe I've been too cautious, too reluctant to decide upon a course of action that seemed chancy. Maybe that is why they blame me for the League's closing.

My room is dark most of the time, what windows exposed to the outside world often smothered by heavier, dark curtains. It's nowhere near as expansive or impressive as my throne, as Karen had called it, within the League, but its what I've always had to myself. There is no light, yet I cannot sleep as my mind wrestles with today's events... and tomorrow's. Laying curled up on my side and staring at the wall, I sighed and sank deeper into the blankets.

The deal I laid for Bill was logical and concise. We'll cruise through the trail as long as we can, laying low on Dragonite, then ascend to the peak. If Dragonite falters or if any situation were to occur, we turn back. No exceptions.

Dragonite isn't the only pokemon I will bring, but he is the only one I trust to get us there. He is my strongest, my pride and joy. Sucking on my chapped lips, I played it in my mind once more. I have the money to buy some repellant, but it hasn't been available for a long time. The vendors have enough troubles with thieves, bandits, and aggressive pokemon as it is, one can't expect much these days to come from afar. Basic travel supplies- food, water, first aid. I can't exactly wear gloves if its gusting, I won't be able to grip onto Dragonite well.  
There's one other thing I usually bring... but I can't seem to remember. It's slipping my mind every time I focus on what it was for.

Rubbing my eyes with the tips on my fingers, I roll over and stare blankly at the shape of my ceiling. I feel tired and restless all at once, which is partly why I fear something bad is going to happen. This shouldn't trouble me so much, it's not as if I've never made the trek before. There's nothing wrong with this task, just fly in and fly out. No trainer engagement or paparazzi. A simple task.

But it really isn't.

* * *

In the morning I quickly prepared for the journey, just after sunrise. I secured my pack and slipped out of the manor before Clair would finish her routine down in the Den, making a beeline down the compacted snow streets to Bill's house at the west edge of the city's limits. He stood there waiting properly, but looking somewhat anxious; just the same, I was relieved to find him ready. His Eevee spotted me first, pressed against his leg.

"Vee!"

"Morning," Bill smiled, showing off his most eager face. I continued my pace, touching Dragonite's pokeball and expecting him to follow as I stepped by.

"Let's go then."

We passed over the bridge, weighed down with snow and watched as residents worked their early shifts clearing the streets. The air was quiet and wind calm, the silence between us and the waking city reassured me. I set Dragonite out, looking over our destination as I mounted him swiftly. Bill shifted uneasily, eyeing Dragonite's backside as I extended a hand to him.

"How exactly do I ride him...?"

"If you can't grip Dragonite's scales, just hold tight onto me then." He sighed, obviously not much the adventurer, and reluctantly tried to slip onto Dragonite's backside behind me. After a foiled attempt and some discomforted fidgeting later, Bill secured his arms around my torso and poked his head over my shoulder.

"I think I'm ready now..."

"You should learn how to Fly on a pokemon sometime," I admonished and touched Dragonite, setting him off the ground with a reverberating beat of his wings. Bill clutched at me and Eevee squirmed inside of his jacket, paws pressing into my back as he was pinned between myself and his trainer. Dragonite pointed his body upward, shooting up and breaking through the first low-lying cluster of clouds; Blackthorn disappeared with only a moment, and ahead was the mountainous range with Mt. Silver obscured in the distance. "Is this your first time flying like this," I tried to talk to him behind me as the wind whipped my voice.

"Umm, kind of, at least like this."

"You have to speak up, Bill, the wind is too strong up here!"

"Sorry! I said this will be the first time on a Dragonite!"

"Then you have flown before."

"Yes!" I felt Bill's head turn slightly to look out over the clouds and the mountains, a sea of white and obscured forms. "It was so long ago though, back in Kanto! There had been rumors that the Cerulean Cave was causing a psychosis in a few sensitive individuals within the city... because of some mysterious pokemon that had moved in." I listened with half an ear, directing Dragonite past a few lower lying plateaus. The wind was getting harsher by the second and I could see precipitation up ahead. "You ever hear 'bout any of that?"

"No, but I was pretty preoccupied back then, and never heard about any of this in the League. So you went flying out to investigate this rumor?" Bill laughed, though not necessarily a humored one.

"Of course not, I lived on the cape! There was no way I was going near the cave if there was a pokemon like that, on my own at least. Misty became concerned enough that she told Red, and he asked if I could run some scans on the place while his Charizard flew us over."  
That sounded just like something Red would do. He was an curious kid to a fault, but not as impulsive as he seemed. He was always practical when it came to the welfare of Pokemon...

"What did you find?"

"Those rumors certainly had some spine to them. I don't know what Red did about it, but he fixed it up somehow."

"That's Red for you," I rasped, perhaps too quiet for Bill to hear. The cold atmospheric air was already cracking my throat, and I knew what it would be doing to Dragonite's thin membraned wings. "Let's pick it up Dragonite!" He let out a cry, folding his wings inward and catching the wind towards the mountain tops.

* * *

Everyone missed Red. The prodigy and hero of Kanto, who destroyed- no, _obliterated_ Team Rocket single-handedly. Not without his partners, that is to say.  
Before I even met Red, I had read about him the papers. The league had already been discussing the rise of this star before he even stepped foot into the Plateau. Back then, there was tension and political disputes as the border between Johto and Kanto was not united within the league, but split by the league itself. If they hadn't been screwing about, we could have assisted him, but as it turned out, Red was such a special individual that he needed none of our guidance. In the Elite Four, he was already a commended hero.  
Well, despite Agatha's adamance that is. She came around eventually, as she had been only bitter because of Oak's influence in his life.

But they say all good things come to end sometime. The party disputes between Johto and Kanto's convergence of one league left one stone unturned in Red's path: Mt. Silver.

Was that really it? He conquered the gyms, traveled the nation, defeated an evil empire, befriended legendary pokemon such as the trio of birds, crushed the Elite Four and rose up as the champion- but this last task he falls to? He simply could not ascend Mt. Silver? His disappearance never made sense to me, I couldn't accept it. None of us were able to find him again, not a trace of him nor his pokemon.  
It's just one of those mysteries that bother me deep down, and I would give and do just about anything to find the truth behind it. But what is left to find, he's been gone for a decade now and is all but just a fond memory to the people.

* * *

We had come up into the mountain side and found ourselves deep within an ongoing blizzard. It was just as I imagined, as Dragonite fought hard against the elements.

"So at the top," Bill yelled towards me. "I should let Eevee out then?" I looked at him in the corner of my eye for only a split second.

"I'll tell you when!" The air is so frigid and dry it feels like every breath is drained from my lungs before I can even inhale. I rubbed my numb hand up along the side of Dragonite's neck. "You're doing great Dragonite! We'll be done shortly!"

"Arrouughhhr!" Suddenly he took a spiraling dive to the side I hadn't expected, leaving the two of us reeling. Clutching Dragonite tightly, I scanned for the cause of his evasive move. Up ahead on the mountain side stood a large Ursaring on hind legs, looking rather confrontational.

"Wh-What's going on?"

"Ursaring! Good job Dragonite, evade it's attacks, do not strike back!" He beat his wings, making an attempt to fly past but the irate pokemon fired off another hyper beam, forcing Dragonite to double back over in a loop. "It's not letting us through!"

"L-Lance, don't we attack it back then or something! I don't know how much I can hold on with stuff l-like that!" Dragonite blasted through the snow, swiping past the Ursaring as it recharged, but just as soon as we cleared past, the bear shot another hyper beam straight into our path. The small resulting avalanche pushed us back once again.

"Wait Dragonite." He did as asked, taking a moment to catch his own breath. "Bill, I'm not wasting Dragonite's energy on fighting a wild pokemon. This Ursaring is a female, she surely has cubs."

"I can't even SEE through this, how are we supposed to...!"

"Just hold on! I'll take care of it!" Though, my mind was racing to find some solution. Ursaring drew in closer to strike again as I looked down to my friend, waiting silently for me. "Dragonite, circle Ursaring in the snow and use your wingspan to bury it!" He didn't waste a moment, taking off again and cutting up against Ursaring's side, slicing his wing into the snow. She shot hyper beam once again but he deftly twisted and arced his body over the beam, dipping down again into the snow to round up Ursaring's side. I could tell Bill was having a hard time with this ride as it felt like he might crush my lungs with the grip he had around my torso.  
For a moment, it looked like my plan worked as Dragonite slashed around her once more and threw snow up over her, but she was quick to plow through, charging up at us with arm drawn back and claws extended. "Dragonit-" He reacted to my voice instinctively without words, grabbing ahold of Ursaring's arm thrusting forward with a crush claw and throwing her with full body strength. Ursaring landed a few feet away deftly, and I made my decision, standing up and reaching back.

"Lance, what are you-!"

"She won't let us go without a fight, so if I must." In a flash of light blinded by the snow, Charizard emerged from his pokeball. "Charizard-" His neck cocked back to me to stare me with his green eyes. "I don't want to hurt this pokemon! Use flamethrower to melt the snow around it!" He reared back with a sharp inhale, razing the area with his fire. Ursaring brushed past the fires, dashing at him head on and leaping up to strike him with crush claw. "Dragon Claw," I shouted out but my voice must have been lost in the gust as she struck Charizard in the jowl, reeling him back with a cry. I felt frustration take over me for a moment. "Get away from her!" He beat his wings, taking into the air and scorching the rocky earth awash with ice once again. "Dragonite, stop her with ice beam! Don't let her move again!"  
Dragonite drew back, the icy flash spouting from his mouth to the melted ground, freezing up everything within seconds. The Ursaring was immobilized from the waist down, roaring out with frustration and slashing at her frozen encasement. I took a moment to breathe out in relief, a mistake. Ursaring's eyes flashed with anger and launched a hyper beam at us in close proximity. Dragonite acted fast, falling back to miss the shot but was caught in the explosion of pure energy meeting solid ice and earth. "Everyone okay," I asked, recovering from the sudden impact with the ground. Bill coughed as Dragonite rose back up and shook the ice off of his antenna. He was okay, for now.

"Y-Yeah," Bill stammered, shaken but not injured. His Eevee still cuddled up within the front of his jacket piped in as well.

"Then we keep moving." I cast a glance at Charizard, still monitoring Ursaring as she recharged her energy from the last blast. "Charizard, come along to escort us. Who knows what other pokemon might interfere." The two took back off into the air, following up along the mountainside.

"Lance," Bill called out, just loud enough for me to hear.

"Yes," I tilted my head back. The air was getting colder by the second.

"Back home you said if anything happened..." We would turn back. I shifted my gaze back up to the mountain we were flying alongside to the top amidst the flurrying snow.

"I did say that."

"We're going to go through with this no matter what, then?" I let his words hang in the air for a few minutes as I mulled over the irrationality that had gripped at me suddenly. Was I really going to force my pokemon, my closest friends, through this task even if I lost control of the situation? Even though I dragged my feet to this point? Asking myself this, considering all of my possibilities. I affectionately rubbed Dragonite's skin from the thin coat of snow that was developing, his head snapping up with assurance in his eyes.

"Lance?"

"Would Red turn back," I asked him and silence overtook us again.

* * *

Blackthorn changed too, though not so long ago. The summers through the area became unbearable. Hundreds of people died in the city from prostration, while even more flocked in as refugees. The homeless rate went up 30% as everyone struggled to cope with the influx. The icing on the cake was really the earthquakes nearby Mount Silver that toppled many structures. Apparently, the landmass that is the continent crunched together, it was something about tectonic plates. I'm not into the science behind it, but it pushed up the earth and created an even more jagged passage to the south and east of the city.

It just happens to be where our destination lies. The highest peak of this mountainous valley, laying parallel on the landscape alongside Mt. Silver. There has been some talk in town of naming the mountain, but seeing as how no one journeys anymore, it has simply become another anonymous monument to our new, ever-changing world.

It had taken us an hour of nothing but plowing through the blizzard to finally reach this point. The wind was more vicious than I've ever felt like some powerful pokemon was using a never-ending razor wind across the mountain tops. Bill was shivering, but I couldn't help but appreciate the extra body heat he was sharing with me through this. I only hoped it helped Dragonite out a little too. Charizard became weaker exponentially as the gale continuously tried to snuff his tail flame, watching a new gust nearly force him out of the sky gave me my resolution.  
"We should land. Then we can try to work with Eevee."

"T-The snow," Bill's teeth were chattering. "It's going to be s-so deep down there...!" And he certainly had a point.

"Let Eevee come out now, and we'll look for a place to land." Bill reluctantly opened his jacket, gently taking the bundle of fur out. It let out a cry of aggravation, fur bristling more in the elements.

"This is it Eevee, this is what we came out for!"

"Eeiiveh eeiiv!"

"When you evolve into a Glaceon, you won't feel cold anymore Eevee! Everyone is going to be so proud of you, just imagine," I listened as he reassured his pokemon and relieved the stress the small creature was probably feeling.

"Veeeh!" It's voice sounded much stronger as I smiled inwardly.

"Then Eevee, you should move up here with Dragonite." Bill handed him over cautiously and Eevee clambered on top of Dragonite's head, large eyes squinting into the face of the blizzard. I crooked my neck, catching some of Bill's hair in my mouth as his face was still pressed close against me. "Pft-Charizard! How are you managing?" I knew he couldn't be doing well but nonetheless he let out a determined roar, swooping alongside Dragonite like this was nothing at all to him. That was one thing about every Charizard I've ever known, the look of pride in their face was unmistakeable.

"He's looking great!" Bill took the gesture too literally and I looked away back to our destination.

"Don't overdo it, Charizard. We're almost at the peak, let's-" Just then, something silver caught our eyes ahead. Or reflective at least, as the snow all around us was blinding. I thought it over, there was no way something man-made would be out here, so what else in these mountains could it be... I realized what it was all too quickly as I caught a flash of red diving through the air for us.  
Didn't someone once say if something could go wrong, it would? Yeah, that's exactly how I felt.

"What is that," Bill asked warily. I gripped hard onto Dragonite, he pulled up from flight to assume a defensive stance as it drew closer. Eevee almost slipped right off but grasped it's paw onto Dragonite's horn.

"Charizard, be ready to strike! It's a-"

"Skaaaahhhhrr!" Skarmory flew up alongside us, wings glimmering with steel and bringing them inward to slice Charizard and Dragonite at once. Dragonite beat his wings, drawing back to avoid the blades as Charizard countered the strike with his own iron tail. The clash of steel resonated as Charizard opened his mouth, spitting out a blast of fire but not before the iron clad bird broke contact.

"Focus on bringing it down as quick as possible," I barked out but held back my surprise when Bill leaned forward into me, stabbing at the air with a finger.

"Lance!" I followed his finger to two more Skarmory coming from the northeast. The two split paths on either side of Dragonite and I swore under my breath.

"Dragonite, hit the one on the right with Thunder Wave first!" There wasn't time to strike individually, and they weren't close enough to hit both. "Bill, can your Eevee fight!"

"Y-Yes but I-" Eevee may not be trained under a trainer, but I wanted to kiss whoever bred Bill's pokemon as he opened his mouth and black sparks of energy gathered. Bill seemed even more shocked at the initiative than I was. "Eevee-!"

"When I say, fire a Shadow Ball at the Skarmory on the left," I ordered as the dark form took a glowing shape before him. Dragonite's antenna had sent out an electrical ring, attracting to the steel in the Skarmory's body and channeling the paralyzing pulse as it cried out. The other wild pokemon flew under us, spiraling up with a drill peck. "Now Eevee!" He leaped off of Dragonite's head, firing the blast into the side of it's head and setting it's drill peck wide off course. "Finish it with Ice Beam!" Dragonite reared back, exhaling the beam and freezing the Skarmory on the spot, crashing into the snowy ground. Eevee grasped clumsily onto Dragonite's tail, catching itself from falling as well, and Bill scooped him up in a moment.

"Eevee! I never knew you were so talented!"

"We're not done," I reminded him with a harsh tone as Dragonite turned towards the paralyzed Skarmory, struggling with it's status affliction but still moving in towards us no less. "Use Ice Beam on this one too!" Dragonite took a deep long breath but hesitated painfully and I knew I went too far. "Never-mind, Dragonite, let's move it!" Skarmory seemed to break free from it for a moment, and without any warning slammed into us from the side with an elusive aerial ace maneuver. Everything happened so quickly, I didn't have time to recover and re-adjust to the events.

"Eevee," Bill's distressed voice pierced me. Eevee was flying forward in a brown blur, from the slam we had received, tumbling uncontrollably towards the vicious bird. Skarmory rose up, flashing it's bright red blade wings and bearing it's sharp talon's at it's helpless prey. Then- Bill was there!- grabbing onto Eevee and clutching his pokemon- his friend- for dear life.

And Skarmory's talons got him.

It happened so fast in the blur of pelting snow that I almost believed I imagined it for a split second. Dragonite faltered in the air from the hit, exhaustion starting to take it's dreadful toll. The bird's claws dug into Bill's arms and supported him in the air as he cried out in pain, Eevee squirming in his grasp to free itself. Finally I broke myself from this trance, watching as Skarmory fidgeted with his unintentional capture.

"Bill!"

"Help," But just as he pleaded weakly, the paralysis overtook Skarmory again, dropping Bill to stay afloat itself. Our reaction time was perfectly in synch with each other, as Bill plummeted from the sky, Dragonite rushed into a dive and I clutched onto him. As we grew nearer the ground I unhooked my cape and flung it out to him, Bill grasped it and slowed his descent with it... long enough for me to grab onto him and pull him back into our flight. Dragonite pulled up sharply, wings beating against the fallen snow and kicking up the crystals into our face. Bill let out a relieved sigh as I held him wrapped inside my cape. Charizard returned next to Dragonite's side, a little worse for wear from dealing with the first Skarmory, but determination just as strong as ever.

"Will you be okay," I asked, finding a break in the pace to look down at him. Both of his arms had long, drawn out slashes into them but were not bleeding profusely nor seemed deep, as I saw no muscle or bone exposed. He caught my stare and covered them with my cape.

"I'll be fine, let's finish this." Eevee seemed torn to stay by Bill's side but he shook his head at his pokemon. "Eevee! We still need you, they're risking their necks for you!"

"You're the one risking your neck," I scolded. "Don't do that _ever again_." Bill withdrew into my arms, defeated as Eevee squirmed out of his to stand on Dragonite's head once again. The Skarmory raised it's voice shrill, a screech I suppose now that it is the one who is outnumbered. "Charizard, I want this bird taken out now! Flamethrower!" Flames burst from his mouth, chasing after Skarmory with terrible force. The pokemon ducked and dived through the air, the harsh wind streamline against the blade feathers.  
So that's why they were out here on the offensive. They have a great advantage at camouflage and speed in this weather and atmosphere, and in desperate times I suppose they went through desperate measures to survive.

I pulled away from my thoughts as I saw a single feather spark from the ongoing paralysis. "Dragonite," I looked down at the two pokemon, waiting expectantly. "Hit it with Thunder Wave for another good measure, and Eevee, make a Shadow Ball in the time it buys you." They started on it right away, Dragonite's antenna shot out the weak electrical field as ominous energy gathered around Eevee's mouth.

"What is your plan," Bill asked quietly, though there wasn't much need even if Skarmory could hypothetically hear him in this vicious storm.

"I'm going to trigger it's paralysis and then hit it with high energy blast. We need to get out of here." As I spoke, Dragonite's thunder wave did just that, immobilizing Skarmory once again in the air.

"Skkkraaaarrr!"

"Charizard! Blast Burn now, and combine it with your Shadow Ball Eevee!" Charizard took a deep rasp of air, the flame on his tail doubling in size and spitting out a fireball as big as his body in a scorched blast. Eevee shot off his Shadow Ball and the two energies collided, hitting Skarmory dead on. Light and fire flashed as the steel wings began to reshape under the intense change of temperature and the blast exploded, sending Skarmory careening into the ground several yards away.

"That was great," Bill began to sit up but paused. "Uh-"

"What?" I looked with surprise as Eevee's body took on a bright light, growing taller and changing shape. Instantly, a part of me realized that Eevee _could_ be changing into an Espeon, like the one Red had, but I quickly detached myself from cynical thoughts. "Is he going to be a Glaceon?" When the light flashed and revealed a form I had never seen before of the Eevee line, I sighed in relief that our mission was a success. Bill didn't answer directly, he instead pounced from my arms and took his new pokemon in gratefully, laughing and petting him.

"Glaasssiee!"

"This is fantastic! Marvelous! And you're so darling too, just imagine how happy everyone will be to see you like this, Glaceon!"

"Not to spoil your fun, but we need to leave. NOW." Both of my pokemon were exhausted from the mountain, even Charizard stopped wasting energy with his facade. My stern voice must have sobered Bill up as he recoiled back to me again, not able to shift positions to where he originally was. "We have to go back the same way we came, down the mountain side and the across the valley back to Blackthorn. We can't deal with another encounter."

That much was clear.


End file.
